


Safe & Sound

by jugheadjoneswozhere



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Falling back into love, Fluff, Fluffy, Memory Loss, Mental Institution, Mentions of drugs, Nightmares, PTSD, Rescue Mission, brief mentions of alice cooper, brief mentions of sweet pea and fangs, kind of inspired by the hunger games, real or not real trope, relationship, toni is a good friend, tracker jacker venom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:47:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29086344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jugheadjoneswozhere/pseuds/jugheadjoneswozhere
Summary: Betty is taken away to a mental institution at her mother's orders, and Jughead gathers up a group of serpents to rescue her. Watch Betty fall back into love with Jughead after having all of her happy memories tainted.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Safe & Sound

**Author's Note:**

> i was bored and decided to write...so enjoy! also, listen to 'safe & sound' by taylor swift whilst reading this. i love you all !! insta - @pinkandprejudice

Only one thing registered in Bettys mind as she cracked one eye half open, and that was that her head was pounding. She opened her other eye, allowing them the adjust to the dim lights above her. She tried to sit up but found that she was too weak to bring herself to move. She gave up trying to move and looked around the room she was lay in.  
It was small. Exceedingly small, with only the twin bed she was lay in and a small wooden wardrobe in one corner. She thought she recognised the room but could not remember where from. She tried again to manoeuvre herself into a sitting position, but after another unsuccessful attempt, decided to just close her eyes, letting sleep consume her once again.  
The next time she woke, it was to hushed voices. She squinted open her eyes and looked over to the door of the room where two people were whispering to each other. One of them – a girl, with bright pink hair and a kind smile noticed her woken state and nudged the man, informing him of her awakening.  
The man turned around to face her and walked over to the bed, cautiously sitting on the edge of it.  
“Betty?” the man asked, tentatively taking hold of her cold hand.  
“Where am I?” Betty croaked out, “I need water,” she added with a gasp.  
The man immediately got up and left the room, leaving her once again alone. He came back a few moments later, a glass of iced water in his hands. He handed her the glass, moving stray stands of hair from sticking to her sweat soaked cheeks.  
She drank the whole glass before repeating her words from earlier.  
“Where am I?”  
“At my trailer.” Jughead told her.  
“Have I been here before?” she asked, quietly.  
“Lots of times, sweetheart,” he replied, gently stroking her hair.  
“How am I here…I’m not supposed to be here. You’ll be in so much trouble and so will I…” Betty whispered, her voice laced with panic.  
“Don’t worry, baby, you’re not going back there. Go back to sleep.” Jughead said, trying to comfort her.  
She nodded and closed her eyes, drifting yet again into a deep sleep.  
When her breathing had evened out, Jughead stood up from his place on the bed and left the bedroom, going to the living room where he knew Toni would be waiting.  
“How is she?” Toni asked nervously as she saw him approaching.  
“She’s confused.” He told her.  
“I don’t blame her; the poor girl has had more than her fair share of shit to put up with.” Toni said, sadly.  
“I know, I’m going to kill her mom.”  
“I have no doubt that you will, I just hope you get to her before I do.” Toni laughed.  
They’re silent for a minute before Toni asks, “How are you doing? It must be hard, seeing her like this.”  
“I’m okay, worried though. Scared.” He replied.  
“Makes sense, I’m going to go find Fangs and Pea, ring me if you need me?” Toni said, grabbing her bag.  
“Yeah of course, thank you for your help.” He said, giving his friend a hug.  
She nodded in goodbye and left the trailer, leaving Jughead alone.  
He walked into the kitchen, suddenly hungry, and began to make himself a sandwich. He was exhausted and so drained but couldn’t bring himself to sleep, in case she needed him. He had just finished making his makeshift meal when a loud wail came from the other room. He dropped his fork and ran into his bedroom.  
“Betty! What happened…” he cuts off when he sees that she is not awake, just having a nightmare. She’s shifting around the bed restlessly and suddenly lets out another loud cry. He notices that the shirt that he’d dressed her in was now soaked with sweat.  
He hurried over to the bed and began gently shaking her awake. She opened her eyes with a gasp and frantically looked around the room.  
Jughead took hold of her hand, “It’s alright, you’re safe. You’re here now.” He whispered.  
She looked at him for a moment before tears began falling from her eyes. She reached for his other hand.  
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked her, gently stroking her cheek.  
She shook her head, closing her eyes. Tears were still falling. He got up to leave when she tightened her grasp on his hands.  
“Is everything okay?” he asked her, carefully.  
“Stay with me?” she whispered.  
He searched her face for any hesitance, but found none.  
“Always.” He replied, pulling back the covers and climbing into bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist - it was thinner than he remembered - and held her close until she drifted back to sleep. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the horrors she had seen at the institute the past few months and as exhausted as he was, all he could think about is the fact that she’s out now and she is here, safe, and with him.  
He would try and talk to her about it in the morning, but for now, he let sleep take over his body. His last conscious thought being that he would treat himself to a burger for breakfast, god knows he needed one.  
It was morning and Jughead begrudgingly woke up. He briefly noted that he needed to get Betty some clothes other than his own, he would have to call Toni later. He closed his eyes again, deciding that he could spare a few more minutes.  
Betty stirred beside him and turned to face her. Her eyes opened slowly, and she began to panic. She calmed when it registered that there were strong arms holding her. She looked up and saw a lightly snoring Jughead, his arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She shifted slightly and his grip only tightened. She huffed and gently tapped his chest.  
“What?” he asked her, gruffly.  
“I need to use the bathroom.” She whispered against his chest.  
He sighed sarcastically and loosened his grip so she could take care of her business.  
Betty used the bathroom and when she came back, Jughead was no longer on the bed. She walked out of the bedroom and was shocked to walk straight into what looked like a living room. She noticed another door and decided to explore and found that the door led to a small kitchen.  
“You found me,” jughead spoke from where he was standing, leaning against a cupboard.  
“I think that you might’ve found me,” Betty pointed out, referring to something other than the kitchen.  
“Well, I wasn’t about to lose you, was I?” he retorted.  
She looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face.  
“Can I hug you?” she whispered.  
“You don’t have to ask me that.” He replied, pulling her into his embrace.  
They stood there, holding each other, for many long moments.  
“Do you want some toast?” Jughead suddenly asked with a smirk.  
“I would love some, I haven’t had bread in so long.” She told him.  
“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning back to look at her.  
“Well…we weren’t allowed carbs…” she explained, hesitantly.  
He looked at her for a moment before pulling away and grabbing his phone.  
Ten minutes later, the doorbell sounded, and a young delivery boy dropped off a huge bag of Pop’s burgers.  
Betty smiled at Jughead as he paid for their food and said, “You know, I would’ve been fine with toast.”  
“No girl of mine is just having toast for her breakfast when they can have burgers!” Jughead exclaimed as if she had said something completely unreasonable.  
She laughed at him and held his hand, “you’re being very nice to me, why?”  
“Because we’re a couple, you and me.” he told her.  
“we are.” she nodded to him, a memory coming back to her. He smiled and handed her a milkshake, vanilla, her favourite.  
They ate in silence for a while before Jughead asked her, “Do you think you’re ready to talk about what happened?”  
She looked at the floor, her nails instinctively curling into her palms.  
“Hey, hey. Don’t do that.” He said, gently taking hold of her hands and looking at the palms.  
She tried to pull them away, but his grip only tightened. “God, betty,” he whispered, a broken look in his eyes.  
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, a tear falling from her eye.  
He brought her hand to his mouth and gently kissed them.  
“Let me clean these up for you?” he asked her, softly.  
She nodded slightly as he led her into the small bathroom.  
He reached into the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a variety of ointments. “This might hurt a little.” He said, pouring the liquid onto her palms.  
She winced at the sting but didn’t complain otherwise.  
“I’m going to put a bandage on them to stop any infection, is that okay?” he asked.  
She nodded and watched silently as he wrapped her ripped palms in thick bandages. When he’d done, he didn’t let go of her hands, just kissed her gently on the forehead and led her back into his bed.  
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again, once they were lay together in the bed.  
“Don’t apologise.” He told her.  
It had been so long since someone had taken care of her and she was very emotional and sensitive at the minute and Jughead’s words sent her over the edge. She started crying. Huge, gut wrenching sobs that shook through her body. She had tried so hard to supress her feelings when she was at the institution and now, she was finally able to let it all out.  
Jughead let her cry, holding her as tight as he possibly could. Allowing her to feel all the things she hadn’t even known she was feeling.  
After a while, the sobbing stopped, and her breathing evened out slightly. He hated seeing her like this. Knowing that there wasn’t anything he can do to truly help her. This beautiful, broken girl in his arms, made to deal with more than anyone ever should.  
Betty woke up with her head on Jughead’s chest. She could feel it slowly rising and falling, reminding her that she was here now. She was safe. Jughead stirred slightly, yawning, and stretching his arms above his head before they settled back on her waist.  
“Are you awake?” he whispered gruffly into her ear.  
“Yes,” she whispered back.  
He made no move to get up but kissed her softly on her cheek.  
“I think I might want to talk about it.” She said, suddenly.  
He looked at her with a surprised look on his face, “Really?”  
She nodded and he said, “What do you remember?”  
“Not much from the past few weeks. I remember a lot from the start, and I remember when the men came to my house to take me away. I don’t think I’m supposed to though…they gave us these ‘sweets’ that we had to eat every night and I noticed that it made the people act really weird, so I used to hide mine rather than eat it.” She told him.  
“So, you think that’s why you remember, because you didn’t eat the sweets?” he asked her.  
“I think it’s why I remember as much as I do. I got caught though, after about a week and I don’t remember anything after that up until waking up here.” She explained.  
“That’s what we thought.” He said, almost to himself.  
“What?” she asked.  
“Well, we did some research, and we think that the ‘sweets’ they were giving you were laced with tracker jacker venom.” He explained.  
“What’s that?” she asked.  
“Tracker Jackers are a type of bug, but the side effects of the venom can be really dangerous.” He told her.  
“So why do you think they were feeding us that?”  
“Do you remember what happened after you ate the sweets?” Betty shook her head. “A memory is called upon by some sort of stimulus and the tracker jacker venom is fed in through the sweets, in small enough quantities that it causes little physical reaction and minimal hallucination. The memory then becomes subconsciously associated with fear and pain, as well as being perceptibly warped. So basically, we think that they were tainting your good memories. Luckily, we got you out before they got to all of them but there may be things that you don’t quite remember or understand.”  
“Christ.” Betty said. “How long was I there for?” she asked him, almost not even wanting to know the answer.  
“Just shy of three months.” He told her quietly.  
A look of horror and fear came over Bettys face as she said, “Oh my god.”  
“It’s alright though, because we got you out.” Jughead said, trying to comfort her.  
A tear fell from Betty’s eye. “I must have missed so much.” She joked.  
“Not really, I’ll be honest with you, I spent most of the time trying to figure out where you were and how I could get you back.” He admitted with a small smile.  
“Thank you for finding me.” She told him.  
“I will always find you.” He whispered.  
“I’m still scared though,” she admitted, “there are so many things that have happened that I don’t remember.”  
“I understand but remember that you’re not there anymore.”  
She nodded.  
A few hours later they ate some dinner, Betty only a small amount as she had been so underfed that her body needed to get used to large amounts of food again.  
Betty climbed into bed that night and watched as Jughead climbed in next to her.  
“Do we normally sleep in the same bed?” she asked him, quietly.  
“Usually, but it’s alright if it doesn’t make you comfortable right now, I’ll sleep on the sofa.” He said, hesitantly.  
She quickly shook her head. “No, its fine, I just couldn’t remember.” She told him sadly.  
He nodded and climbed into the bed, but rather than holding her, he kept his distance. She already missed him holding her but decided not to say anything in case he didn’t want to be near her.  
Jughead woke up to rustling and looked around slightly panicked and slightly disorientated for a moment before it registered that the rustling was coming from Betty’s side of the bed. She was frantically gripping at the bedsheets and appeared to be struggling, as if something were holding her down.  
She suddenly let out a cry or scream of what can only be described as pain.  
“Betty!” Jughead tried, gently shaking her shoulders.  
She didn’t stir, just kept struggling. She let out another scream and began crying in her sleep.  
“Plea- please stop! STOP IT! Stop hurting me!” she screamed.  
“Betty!” he shouted, shaking her shoulders more violently, still to no reaction.  
“Please! Please stop! Stop…” she cried, her face lined with sweat and tears.  
Jughead looked around frantically thinking of how he could wake her up.  
“BETTY!” Jughead shouted, shaking her whole body.  
Betty woke up with a gasp, looking around frantically. Once she realised where she was, she seemed to calm slightly but tears continue to fall from her eyes.  
She was sobbing now, huge, terrified sobs.  
Jughead looked at her broken body and said, “I’m going to get you some water.”  
“No…” she croaked out, “don’t leave me here alone.”  
He watched her, tears streaming down her face, and said, “I’ll never let you go.”  
She reached out to him and he climbed back into the bed, hauling her shaking body into his arms, and holding her close.  
She continued to cry in his arms. He gently stroked her hair.  
“just close your eyes, the sun is going down.” He whispered.  
“You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I’ll be safe and sound.” He spoke to her, softly.  
“They’re going to get me,” she whispered, her voice cracking.  
“Just don’t look out the window, darling everything’s on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on but you’re here not there.” He comforted.  
Her crying stopped after a long while and she looked up at him.  
“I want to remember.” She told him.  
“What do you want to remember?” he asked her.  
“Us. I think you might be my happiest memory. That’s why I’ve forgotten.” She replied.  
“Well talk in the morning, sweetheart, you should sleep.” He told her.  
She nodded and closed her eyes, leaning her head on his chest. A feeling that felt so foreign yet so familiar.

“Juggie!” Betty whined when he splashed her.  
“Stop whining betty, a little water never hurt anyone!” the young boy exclaimed.  
They ran around the river in their swimsuits, playfully splashing each other. They didn’t often get carefree days like this between betty’s mother’s strict schedule and Jughead’s frequent absences.  
They stopped running and sat on some of the rocks skimming the riverbank.  
“Are we friends Juggie?” Betty had asked him as they shared a single sandwich Bettys mother had made her earlier that day.  
Jughead shrugged in response, “I’ve never had a friend before.” He explained.  
“Would you like to be my friend?” Betty asked him, innocently.  
Jughead nodded enthusiastically.  
They sat in silence for a moment.  
“So, what do friends do?” Jughead asked.  
“See, Jughead, the way this whole friend thing works is you have to tell each other the deep stuff.” Betty explained.  
”The deep stuff?” Jughead asked.  
“Yeah,” Betty confirmed.  
“Uh-oh. Like what?” Jughead joked.  
“Like, uh…what’s your favourite colour?”  
“Oh, well, now you’ve stepped over the line!” Jughead smarted.  
Betty laughed.  
“Really though, what is it?”  
Jughead thought for a moment. “Orange. Not like mean Cheryl’s hair, but soft like the sunset.” Jughead told her.  
Betty laughed at his comment.  
“What’s yours?” he asked.  
“Green.” She answered, simply.  
He nodded, seemingly happy with her answer.  
Betty woke up the next morning tucked into Jugheads side, his arm wrapped protectively around her.  
“Jughead…” she whispered, gently tapping his shoulder. “Are you awake?”  
“I am now,” he huffed, making her giggle.  
“Your favourite colour is green.” Jughead suddenly said.  
She looked up at him in surprise before saying, “Yours is orange. Not bright orange. But soft. Like the sunset.”  
“At least that’s what you told me once.” she finished.  
“I remember.” He told her.  
She closed her eyes briefly, maybe trying to conjure up that sunset.  
“So…with the venom, did they change some memories?” she asked him.  
“That’s what we think.” he told her.  
“So, how am I supposed to know what’s real and what isn’t?” she asked.  
“I suppose you’ll just have to ask me. I can tell you whether it really happened.” He spoke.  
“Thank you.”  
“You don’t have to thank me.” Jughead told her.  
She looked at him, confusion flickering in her eyes.  
“What are you thinking about?” he whispered.  
“You’re protecting me. Real or not real?” she asked him, quietly.  
“Real. It’s what we do, you and me. We protect each other.”  
She smiled at his answer.  
Later that day, the sound of knocking on the door startled them awake from their nap. Betty, looking panicked, gasped awake.  
“Oh no…they’ve found me!” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.  
Jughead seemed startled by her admission and went to the door, looking through the peephole.  
“Betty, don’t worry, its only Toni.” He told her, calming himself down.  
He opened the door, ushering the woman in quickly.  
“Nice to see you too,” Toni said, sarcastically.  
“Sorry, just checking it was you.” He told her, leading her to the living room, where Betty was still slightly disorientated.  
“Hey BC, how you feeling?” Toni asked her.  
“I’m okay, are you Toni?” she asked, having only met the woman a handful of times.  
“That’s me, are things starting to come back to you a bit?” she asked softly.  
Betty nodded.  
“That’s good, we’ve been worried. Tracker jacker venom used in the way it’s been used on you hasn’t really been seen before so were still figuring things out.” Toni explained.  
“I like your hair.” Betty told Toni with a shy smile.  
Toni laughed and said, “Thank you, glad you’re feeling a bit better.”  
“Toni, why don’t we go and chat in the bedroom?” Jughead suddenly suggested.  
“Sure.” Toni answered.  
“I’ll be back in a second,” Jughead told betty, turning the television on for her.  
“I’m not an invalid, Jughead.” Betty said, quietly.  
“I know you’re not,” Jughead said with a smile, softly kissing her cheek.  
Once in the bedroom, Jughead said, “The nightmares aren’t getting any better.”  
Toni inspected Jughead’s worried expression and sighed. “We haven’t really got anything new to tell you. How much does she remember?”  
“Only the first week or so, that’s when she was refusing the drugs.” Jughead explained.  
“Poor girl.” Toni observed.  
“So, do you think she’ll ever remember what happened or…?” Jughead asked.  
“The memories might come back in small flashes, but we really don’t know enough to say for sure.” Toni told him.  
“Okay. Thank you for everything, Toni you’ve been such a huge help.” Jughead said, sincerely.  
“That’s alright, just look after her.” Toni told him.  
They talked for another few minutes before exiting the bedroom and going back to where Betty was waiting.  
“You’re back,” Betty said with a smile.  
Toni just smiled back at her and said, “I’ll head off, thanks for having me and I’m sorry I didn’t have better news.”  
“That’s alright, we appreciate all the effort you’re putting into this, come anytime.” Jughead told her, before walking her to the door and letting her out.  
“What did you two talk about?” Betty asked as he settled himself next to her.  
“Well…she told me that they’ve rescued more people from the ‘hospital’ and have them all living with different serpents so they can heal. There’s people that have been there for years so they’re really bad, but with any luck we’ll be able to help them.” Jughead explained.  
“That’s good. I mean it’s bad, but it’s good that you got them out.”  
Jughead laughed and pulled her into his arms.  
“I’m going to sleep in here tonight, because Toni wants to see how you manage on your own.” Jughead told her, searching her face for a reaction.  
“Oh…that’s fine…but, why? Are you going somewhere? Is that why she wants me by myself?” Betty asked, worry clear in her voice.  
“I’m not going anywhere don’t worry, but she just wants to see how you handle it.” He explained, trying to soothe her.  
“Yeah…that should be okay…I can do that.” She said, nervously.  
“You’re very strong, you know.” He said, squeezing her shoulders.  
“You make me feel strong.” She replied, quietly.  
That night, they walked into Jughead’s bedroom together like they had for the last few days. Betty lay down in the bed and looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decipher what her next move should be.  
“Erm…well…goodnight then.” Jughead said.  
“Goodnight.” Betty said quietly.  
He turned to leave but seemed to think better of it and leant down, softly kissing her temple. He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. The walls weren’t particularly thick and if anything happened, he knew that he’d be able to hear, even with the door closed.  
He made his way over to the uncomfortable couch, knowing that he’d much rather be lay in his comfortable bed, Betty in his arms. He knew it was for the best though, Toni wouldn’t ask him to if it wasn’t serious.  
He lay down, pulling the thin blanket over his body (that didn’t even entirely fit) and closed his eyes, willing them to take him anywhere but here.  
Betty had never felt so lonely. Not in the time she spent at the ‘hospital’, not when she would sleep in her sister’s empty bed after her parents sent her away. But right now, lay in the bed that her and Jughead shared, she felt unbearably alone.  
Her thoughts had been very disorientated of late, but some things were beginning to piece together. She had spent so many nights willing Jughead to find her. Nights that were spent by her curling her nails into her palms, hurting herself to take away from all the other pain she was feeling. In some ways she was grateful that she couldn’t remember what had happened, because she knew that she would’ve spent the time torturing herself.  
She tossed and turned in the empty bed for long hours, eventually giving in. there was no way she was going to get any sleep in the state she was in. she grabbed the duvet, and opened the door to the bedroom, making her way towards the living area where Jughead was supposed to be sleeping.  
“Jughead…” she whispered, approaching him.  
“Betty?”  
“Oh, you’re awake.”  
“Yeah…what are you doing here?” Jughead asked her, rubbing at his eyes.  
“I couldn’t sleep,” she told him sheepishly.  
He looked at her for a moment, making a decision in his head. “Come over here then.” He said, giving in. He pulled back the small blanket covering him and said, with a raised eyebrow, “you brought the comforter?”  
“Yeah…” she trailed off.  
He chuckled at her clear motive for coming out to see him.  
She tentatively climbed onto the small sofa next to him (but practically on top of him).  
Once they had settled into a comfortable position, her back to his chest and his arm wrapped tightly around her small frame, she shifted and reached for his hand, taking it in hers.  
“Do you think the nightmares will go away?” she asked him, quietly.  
“I do.” He told her.  
She nodded, happy with his answer. There was a long drawn-out pause.  
“Jughead…”  
“Yes,”  
“You love me…” she began, “…real, or not real?”  
“Real.” He answered, after a moment.  
She squeezed his hand, knowing that in this moment, nothing else mattered. Not the horrors of the war, raging outside of their window. Not the world, burning around them. Just that she was there, holding onto him, and they were in love.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading <3 lots of love always


End file.
